Barcelona have enjoyed a very decent start to the campaign so far, but their grit will be properly tested when they land in Portugal. Their first game against Royal Antwerp was a walk in the park, but despite remaining unbeaten, they've followed that with less assured performances in La Liga. An own goal from Sergio Ramos was enough to guarantee victory against Sevilla, but they'll be inclined to make their own luck this time around, because that's how it goes in the champions league.
Porto have also enjoyed a decent start, but their 7-game unbeaten run came to an end last weekend when they lost to Benfica. Their first UCL game away to Shakhtar Donetsk showed how dangerous they can be, especially in transition and when the opponents make silly errors. They've made it to the knockout stages in the past 2 seasons, so they know their stuff. This game however, will go a long away to determine who tops the group.
INTERESTING STATS
- This will be the sixth meeting between the two teams in the UEFA Champions League history.
- Barcelona have won four out of their last five outings against FC Porto.
- The home team have only won one Champions League game against the Catalan giants which came back in 1985/86.
- Xavi’s team are unbeaten in all competitions in the 2023/24 season.
- Prior to their defeat against Benfica in their last outing, Porto were on a seven-match unbeaten run.
Last 5 meetings
1985 2nd round, 1st leg- Barça 2-0 Porto
1985 2nd round, 2nd leg- Porto 3-1 Barça
1994 semifinals Barça 3-0 Porto
1999 group stages. Barça 4-2 Porto
1999 group stages Porto 0-2 Barça
TEAM NEWS
Porto
Sérgio Conceição will be without a few key men for this clash, especially in defense. Former Real Madrid man Pepe, Zaidu Sanusi, Ivan Marcano, Evanilson, Gabriel Veron will all miss out due to injuries.
Diogo Costa will be in goal. Joao Mario and Wendell will start out wide as the full-backs, with Fabio Cardoso and David Carmo the CBs. They may even ass another defender for good measure.
Stephen Eustaquio and Alan Varela will start as the double pivot with Andre Franco, Ivan Jamie and Galeno supporting Iranian striker Mehdi Taremi in attack.
Barcelona
Apart from Raphinha, Frenkie DeJong and Pedri, there are no new injury concerns for Xavi. There's still plenty to choose from. The issue will be to make the right selection.
Marc Andre TerStegen continues in goal. João Cancelo and Alejandro Balde are slated to retain their spots. 3 man central defense? Araujo, Christensen and Koundé are all available for selection.
Oriol Romeu was rested against Sevilla and should return to the lineup to join Gavi and Gündoğan. Fermin Lopez has given a good account of himself recently and is in the mix.
João Felix will be itching to make a mark against Porto and will support Lewandowski in attack. Could Lamine Yamal get his first UCL start, or will Ferran Torres complete the forward line?
What time does Porto vs Barcelona kick-off?
Location: Porto, Portugal
Stadium: Estádio do Dragão
Date: Wednesday 4 October
Kick-off Time: 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET / 12:00 PT
Referee: Anthony Taylor (ENG)
VAR: Stuart Attwell (ENG)
Porto has all the ingredients to make this a difficult encounter for Barcelona, but the visitors have everything they need to scale through and get all 3 points.